Now, and Forever
by herbieunloaded
Summary: Danny Jones had a best friend in Bolton before he left for McFly. When one day, they had to work together by chance, will Meredith be able to forgive Danny for walking out on her? DannyxOC
1. Swing

Hello peopleeeee,  
Here's my new story.  
a _**Danny/OC**_ fic.  
**I DO NOT OWN McFly**,  
I however, do own _Meredith Hamilton_.

**_xoxo,  
herbieunloaded_**

* * *

– **15 years ago –**

'Danny honey, can you come down here for a moment?' Mrs Jones shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

Groaning, five year old Danny Jones placed his toy truck on the floor and stomped his way down to where his mother was, annoyed that she was interrupting him and his toys. Trudging towards Mrs Jones, he noticed her talking to another person in the doorway.

'Ah, took you long enough.' Mrs Jones' attention turned to Danny who was sulking. Slouching his way towards his mother, he looked up to see another woman who was about the same age as his mother and a young girl, who looked to be the same age as him too, at the doorway. The little girl had flowing auburn hair that reached to her waist and large twinkling, sky blue eyes. Staring at him, the little girl gave Danny a shy smile.

'Lorraine and Meredith, meet my son, Danny,' his mother introduced Danny to the young girl and her mother and vice versa, 'Danny, meet auntie Lorraine and her daughter, Meredith Hamilton. They just moved here yesterday.' Danny however did not listen to a word his mother was saying, but just stared at Meredith continuously, who was now blushing but staring at him in the same manner too.

Frowning at her son, Mrs Jones' placed her hand on Danny's shoulder and shook him lightly, 'Danny, where are your manners?'

'Oh, sorry momma. Hello Mrs Hamilton and Meredith.' He smiled sheepishly at his mother before turning his attention back to Meredith again.

Smiling fondly at the two children, Mrs Jones clapped her hands together and continued, 'So, honey, why don't you bring Meredith to our swing in the backyard, I've got to show Mrs Hamilton some of the recipe books I have.' Pushing Danny lightly by the shoulder, Mrs Jones grabbed Mrs Hamilton's hands and dragged her into the kitchen excitedly, breaking into a chain of muttering ingredients and recipe methods.

Pouting at his mother's sudden departure and leaving him with a new girl, Danny turned around and faces Meredith, only to see her staring at the ground shyly, not darling to look up at him.

'Come on, let's go play on the swing. I'll push you.' Danny grasped her tiny hands and led her into the backyard. They stopped briefly when Danny stooped down and plucked a white daisy from one of his mother's pot and gave it to Meredith, who happily took it and gave him a broad smile, breaking the ice between the young kids.

Holding her hands once more, Danny and Meredith reached the small, miniature swing whilst Danny watched Meredith's blue eyes twinkle with excitement.

'Come, I'll push you.' Nodding, Meredith ran towards the small seat and waited while Danny pushed her. Soon, Meredith's joyous laughters sounded throughout the whole backyard, making Danny smile in spite of just meeting her a couple of minutes ago.

After a moment of swinging Meredith, Danny stopped and sat down on the grass in front of the swing, such that he was facing her.

Smiling goofily at her, Danny watched as Meredith played with the daisy in her hands, a delicate smile on her happy face.

'Do you wanna be my best friend?' Danny asked her. Staring back at Danny confusedly, Meredith tilted her head towards the side to try and figure out what he had just said.

'My sissy, Vicky, told me that best friends do everything together. So I wanted you to be my best friend.' Stopping, Danny watched as the look of confusion on Meredith's face clears away, followed by a small smile, which eventually broke into a big grin.

Meredith moved herself from the seat of the swing and sat on the grass opposite Danny. Looking up at Danny, she asked in a small and innocent voice, 'Can I kiss you?'

Danny widened his blue eyes in horror at the sound of getting wet kisses by Meredith, ones that he had seen his sister, Vicky, shared with her boyfriends, until she spoke up again, eyes wide with innocence.

'My momma says that I can kiss whoever I like. And I like you, so I can kiss you. Do you want me to kiss you?' she asked again, ignoring the building blush on Danny's cheeks. Nodding his head, Danny leaned forward a little just as Meredith did. Meredith peck his cheeks lightly and the two children did not realize that their simple and innocent act was taken down by Mrs Jones, with a camera, while she was looking out the window at the young children.

From that day on, the Jones and the Hamiltons household were like a big family, while Danny and Meredith were bestest of friends, doing everything they liked and also spending their free time together, until one day, one of them was to go away to fulfill his dreams.

* * *

hello.my newwwww story!  
hope ya like it :D

_reviews darling!_  
&read my other JML fic  
**_xoxo._**


	2. Memory Lane

HELLOOOOOOOOO!  
Here's another, hahaha.  
I'm gonna rush through my other JML fic,  
_All I Need is You_.

_**CHEERIOS.**  
_

* * *

**10 years later –**

Hitting the snooze button on his alarm clock, Danny Jones yawned and stretched until he was finally awake. Swinging his legs over the edge of his bed, he looked over at his bedside table to find an envelope with his name written across, stacked underneath his photo frame with a picture of him and Meredith. Groping for the letter blindly, Danny's fingers finally found the edge of the paper while he started tearing it open almost immediately.

_Dear Danny Jones,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been chosen to be recruited into the newly formed band, McFly. We will be calling you in a few days to confirm the details with you for joining the band._

_Yours Sincerely,  
__Thomas Fletcher_

The rest of the letter was a blur to Danny except the part about him being recruited. _I'm in a band, I'm in a band! _Danny punched the air in excitement as he thought of being able to play in a band. Now, there was only one thing for him to do. Running into his toilet, Danny cleaned himself up and changed into a fresh set of clothes. Checking his reflection in the mirror beside his wardrobe, Danny stopped to stare into his deep blues.

For a 15 year old, Danny could be considered attractive. Straight, pearly whites and twinkling blue eyes that could melt any girl as easily as ice under the sun, Danny was lucky he did not have any 'hair' problems, _unlike hairy Parry_ in his school he thought, except for the fact that his hair was very curly. _But Meredith liked it,_ he thought, tugging on a piece of his curly, brown locks.

'Why should I care about what she thinks about me? She's just my best mate. Earth to Jones,' shaking his head furiously, Danny chuckled at how silly he must look when he talked to himself.

Checking his appearance for the last time, he then made his way down to Meredith's house. The Hamiltons' house was right beside the Jones' and her bedroom window was located just outside Danny's window. This made things easier for the both of them if they were bored and needed company. They'd just signal each other through the small bell they had taped to the side of the windows and they will be able to talk to each other across the windows.

Knocking on the front door, Danny waited patiently as a kindly looking woman opened the door.

'Oh, good morning, Danny. Here for Mer?' Mrs Hamilton asked a knowing look on her face and opened the door for him.

Grinning broadly at her, Danny nodded his head and followed her into the house. Looking around, he realized Meredith wasn't in the living room.

'She's sleeping, dear. Why don't you go wake her up too?' Mrs Hamilton said from her dishes, frowning at the clock that was hanging on the wall, 'It's getting late.'

'Alright,' walking across the hallway and up the stairs, Danny started creeping towards the blue door with a sign that read, 'Mer's Paradise.' Pushing the door lightly, Danny caught sight of Meredith sleeping, and couldn't help but think about how adorable she looked when she was sleeping. Smiling in spite of himself, he walked towards the bed where Meredith was sleeping on. Kneeling beside it, he stared at her face and was about to finger the contours of her face lightly when her alarm clock rang loudly, making Danny jump.

Cursing, Danny pressed the snooze button and watched as Meredith started to stir and wake up, peeking at Danny with one of her eyes. Sitting up, she smiled at him and muttered a groggy, 'Morning.' Although Meredith had lived in Bolton for 10 years now, she did not seem to acquire the accent that Danny was so full of.

'Mornin to ya too.' Danny said, sitting down onto the spot Meredith had scooted aside for him.

'Your alarm clock's got the best damn timing in the world,' Danny said, sarcasm dripping from his words. 'If it hadn't bloody ringed, I would have been able use my own special way to wake you up.'

'Awww, ish Danielickin Jones shad?' Meredith pouted in a baby voice, making Danny glare at her. Laughing, Meredith walked to her toilet and cleaned herself up when she realized Danny still hasn't told her why he was looking for her this early in the morning.

Setting down her toothbrush and spitting out the foam into the basin, Meredith rinsed her mouth with her mug and made her way back to Danny, who was staring at something in his hands.

'So, Mr Danny Jones, what in heavens are you doing here so early in the morning?' Danny scooted so she was able to sit beside him and swung her legs over the bed and onto it, leaning onto his shoulders.

'I've got a piece of goooooooooooood news,' Danny said, dragging on the word 'good'.

'Uh huh, so what is it? Get to the point Dans.' Meredith said, annoyed at waiting for the good news. She HATES waiting.

'Here,' Danny passed the letter to Meredith who took it, looking at him in confusement, 'read this.'

Taking the letter, Meredith glanced through it and slowly but surely, gave a loud squeak. She jumped from the bed and threw a huge hug at Danny, who was apparently caught off guard. Patting her back nervously, they soon realized the awkward tension between them whilst Meredith jumped off from him and blushed. Flopping down onto the bed again, Meredith broke into a large grin.

'I knew you could do it. See, I was so right.' She said, smirking at Danny who was in turn smirking at her.

'No, that's rubbish, I'm sure to make it, so you just supported the winning horse.'

'No, THAT'S rubbish,' Danny shot her a knowing look, 'alright, fine, so I was backing the winning horse. But who cares! You made it Dannyboy! You're in a band now, and you're gonna be FAMOUS!' Meredith said, jumping up and down on her bed, happy that her best friend was now able to live a dream of his own.

Flopping butt down onto her bed again, Meredith quickly stood up and grabbed Danny's hands, pulling him downstairs.

'Mommy, I'll be out at Danny's house for a while.' Meredith shouted from the hallway to her mother, who was now busy feeding here younger brother, Ethan. Kissing Ethan on the cheeks, Meredith grabbed Danny's hands again, pulling him through the door.

'Be sure to come back for dinner, honey! Your dad's coming home tonight.' Her mother shouted as Meredith was about to open the door.

'Alright!' with that, the two teenagers were out on the street in the cool, morning air.

'Mer, what're we doing?' Danny asked who hadn't in the slightest idea what they were going to do, since Meredith did not tell him anything but dragged him alongside her.

'We're going to write songs.' Meredith's reply was cute short as they reach Danny's house.

'But why're we writing songs?' Danny's question caused Meredith to roll her eyes uncontrollably at him.

Giving him a look to that said Danny_-Jones-how-daft-could-you-get_ she replied, 'Dannyboy, you're in a band now, you need songs don't cha?'

Lightly pushing him into the door, Meredith turned around and walked in the other direction. 'Let's go already, no time to waste. Just grab your guit and we'll start. I'll wait for ya in front of the swing.'

* * *

**A few moments later,**

Meredith stretched her legs out and leaned onto Danny's back lazily, staring at the clouds above. The weather has significantly warmed up, and the two friends were now sitting in front of their childhood hotspot, _their_ swing. Closing her eyes, she took in the scent of the afternoon air and also the melodious sounds of the guitar notes Danny was playing.

'Yes! I've got it!' Danny cried, jumping up and down, resulting in Meredith toppling over and onto the grass.

'Oww, thanks much, Jones.' She scowled as Danny moved to sit in front of her. Placing the guitar on his lap, he started strumming the strings.

_Two years away,  
__I got back today,  
__Tried calling up this girl I used to know,  
__But when I said hello,  
__She didn't know who the hell I was supposed to be_

_Memory Lane,  
__We're here again,  
__Back to the days,  
__And I'll remember you always,  
__So much has changed,  
__Now it feels like yesterday I went away._

Ending the song, Danny placed the guitar back on his lap and looked at Meredith expectantly, hoping the song and lyrics turned out right together. To his relief, Meredith broke into a large smile and started clapping at his talents.

'Gosh, you're great! Your band's gonna make it big one day with you in it.' Meredith now moved behind Danny again, leaning on his back. She always felt that leaning on his back could make her forget about every unhappy thing, and for once, she was sad about leaning on it. _When the band's formed, he'll have to move away, and Danny's gonna forget all about me, _she thought sadly.

Turning her head a little so she was able to talk to him, Meredith asked, 'Will the things in the song happen? Cause i don't want it to.'

Danny turned his head too, so now, they were facing each other. 'I doubt so, I promise.' Holding out his little finger, Danny waited while Meredith reached up and locked her own with his. Then, both of them pecked their hands lightly, to seal the promise. It was their way of doing things from young, and Meredith hoped it'll remain so.

* * *

here ya gooooooo,  
reviews please :)

**_xoxo,_**


	3. Necklace

HELLO,  
I'm in a writing mood,  
so I'm gonna try as fast I can to finish this,  
in case, I'm back to meeting Mr Writer's Block.

_xoxo,_

* * *

Danny was lying on his bed, thinking about the previous events that had happened to him a few days ago. He had talked it over with his parents about him getting recruited into a band, and felt much better that they were actually supportive about him it. Meredith was also happy about him joining the band, but he could tell she was upset about him having to move away from her. Realizing he was going away for a long time, he felt a need to give her something as a memory of him. Sitting up on his bed, Danny grabbed his coat and keys and dashed out of his house and to the mall.

On the bus to the shopping mall, Danny thought of what present he should give her. She was very special to him, and always held a dear place in his heart. Knowing that he was going to be away from her for such a long time made Danny squirmed on the inside, since they were always doing things together everyday.

Upon reaching the mall, Danny made his way for the jewelry shop, hoping to get something both Meredith and he could keep as memories of each other when he was away. Danny browsed through the selection of necklace inside the shop when a kindly face lady greeted him.

'Afternoon, mister. Need some help?' the salesperson asked, a professional smile on her face.

Nodding, Danny turned back to the array of necklaces that were glimmering under the light of the shop. 'I'm planning of getting a necklace for me and my best friend.' He said, still looking to see if he could find anything that he liked, 'Something special. And, she's a girl.' He added, since Meredith was indeed very special to him and hoping the salesperson did not think that Meredith was a boy.

'I see, why don't you come over here, we may have things that may catch your eye.'

Following the lady, Danny looked at the new selections of necklaces that were now placed in front of him. After staring at the jewelries for some time, Danny gave up and groaned, causing the lady that was serving him to chuckle in amusement.

'Why don't you take a look at this couple necklace?' handing the recommended necklace to him, Danny took it into his hand gingerly and noticed the two rings that were hanging off from the silver chains. The rings came in a small one for the girl and a bigger one for the guy. Noticing a slight opening in both necklaces, Danny raised an eyebrow in confusion, hoping the salesperson could explain it to him.

'This rings, are made to fit each other, like this,' taking both necklaces from Danny, the salesperson demonstrated as to how the rings could intertwine with each other through the thin slit.

'It was designed specially to mean, "Now and Forever", by one of our makers here. We can also provide free engraving for you, if you'd like it.'

Smiling at the prospect of having found a special something for Meredith, Danny nodded happily and scribbled down the words he wanted to engrave on the necklace. After paying for the necklace, Danny was told that he could receive the engraved jewelries on the spot and waited patiently for a few moments.

Soon enough, the salesperson came into his sight, bring along with her, two velvet, black boxes. She opened the boxes to reveal the newly made necklaces and rings for Danny to check. On each of the rings, Danny engraved the words, 'D, Now and Forever.' on the smaller ring and 'M, Now and Forever.' On the bigger one, so as to remind them of each other when he was away. On the side, he too noticed half a heart being carved into the rings. Frowning at it, Danny looked up at the salesperson and asked, 'I didn't say I wanted the heart.'

'Oh, no no. This heart comes with every set of this series. When you lace them together, they form a full heart, thus bringing out the true meaning of the maker.' The salesperson explained quickly, in case Danny lost his cool over having his necklace wrecked.

'Oh, alright. The rings okay now, so, thank you for ya assistance.' Danny said to the salesperson while she smiled in return. Okay, she's kinda fit actually, Danny thought, his mind reeling at how his was going to give Meredith the necklace.

Just as he stepped into the door, the phone rang as his mother cried out from the kitchen, 'Danny, could you get that? I'm rather busy at the mo.'

Walking towards the coffee table, Danny picked up the wireless phone and flumped onto the sofa with a soft 'thud'. He pressed the answer button and waited while the person on the other line replied.

'Hello? Is Danny Jones there?' the voice on the other side asked.

'Uhm, yea, him speakin'. Who's this?' Danny asked, hoping it was Tom Fletcher, the one who realized his dream.

'Erm, yea, its Thomas Fletcher here, though I'd rather you call me Tom.' Tom waited on the other side, waiting for Danny's reply, when there was none, he continued.

'I'm just calling to confirm you about the moving in thingy. The label company's just got us this really awesome apartment in London, and we could move in straight away. So I was hoping you'd be able to come over here in three days? We need to start the album early.'

Danny took a moment for the words to sink in since partly, he was zoning out because it was _really_ Tom Fletcher on the other line and secondly, he was shocked about having to move in three days.

'Hello? Ya there?' Tom asked through the phone, wondering if Danny was still on the line.

'Oh yea, yea, still here on earth,' Danny joked, hoping to cover up his silence with a joke, though he knew he failed badly at it since Tom wasn't laughing. Moving on, he said, 'Three days would be alright for me. I've just gotta pack my stuffs and I'll be over.'

'Horight then, cool. Erm, I'll fetch you over at the airport, along with Harry and Dougie. Harry's gonna be the drummer and Dougie the bassist. Till we meet there then, bye.'

'Bye.' And the line went dead. Danny sighed and walked into the kitchen, informing his mother of the date he was moving away. After a few moments of discussing, both mother and son caught each other in a hug, while Mrs Jones tried hard to smooth his curly hair down.

'Mom, stop it. It's never going to stay flat.' Danny groaned, annoyed about the constant stroking his mother was making.

'Alright honey. Anyway, have you told Mer about the sudden move?' his mother asked, releasing Danny from the tight hug.

'Not yet mom, but in due time.' Was Danny's only reply as he trudged up the stairs and flumped onto his bed. Reaching for the velvet boxes from his bedside table, Danny opened it up and fingered it lightly, hoping and hoping Meredith would like it.

* * *

there there,  
reviews darling!

**_xoxo,_**


	4. Just like before

Alohaaaaaa,  
HAHAHA.here's another one.  
I'm facing a writer's block for '_All I need is you'_,  
sooooooo, help's always welcomed!

_**xoxo,  
herbieunloaded**_

* * *

The following two days were a blur to both Meredith and Danny, for they were busy with their schoolwork. Soon, the last day for Danny in Bolton arrived, along with the day of their school break. Hoping to tell Meredith about his departure today, Danny got up early, cleaned and made himself presentable, for his one last day with his best friend. He took out his necklace from the velvet box and wore it before taking Meredith's one and stuffing it into his pocket. Grabbing his coat, Danny made his way to Meredith's house, where he found her sitting in her backyard with a book. Creeping towards her silently, Danny heard a sneeze from Meredith as she began to shiver due to the cold. He took off his coat placed it on her shoulders gently then occupied the seat opposite her. Meredith has been suffering from asthma since young, and was always excused from any physical classes in school, but that did not stop her from being cheerful and hyper when she wanted to.

'Morning,' she smiled, looking up and closing the book with a snap, Meredith pulled the coat closer to her, 'what're you doing up so early, Danielickin Jones?' She asked, a hint of mischief in her eyes.

'Hoi! Stop with that name, mermaid.' Danny retorted, using Meredith's most hated nickname, which was given by well, Danny of course.

Sending him a glare, both of them burst out laughing at each other. Slowly, Danny regained his composure as he recalled what he was supposed to be doing today. Ending his hysterical laughter suddenly, Meredith looked at him in confusion.

Suddenly finding comfort in his hands, Danny started, 'Y'know I have to move over to stay with the band right?'

Meredith nodded, she had already accepted the fact that her best friend was going to be moving miles away from her. 'Uh huh.'

'Well, I just received a call from Tom yesterday, and he wanted me to move to London tomorrow.' Danny spoke the last word softly, almost silently, but Meredith was still able to catch it.

After he said that, Meredith did not reply, but stare continuously at the sky above them, emotions slowly taking over her. 'That soon?' was all she said, without looking at Danny.

'Yeah, I was hoping to tell you earlier, but we've been well, busy and all.' Danny couldn't bear to look up at Meredith and to see the hurt and sadness in her blue eyes.

_Well, he's going to be leaving anyways, so why not accept the fact that its sooner,_ Meredith thought. She tore her eyes from the sky above and looked at Danny, who was now practically wringing his hands like a wet piece of laundry, hoping something that could ease the tension between them could be squeezed out of his hands.

'Alright then. You're going to leave sooner or later. I just gotta live with it, ain't I?' Meredith gave him a smile that did not reach her eyes. Whilst Meredith turned her attention back to staring at the fluffy white clouds, Danny took out the necklace from the velvet box and moved behind Meredith. She jumped when she felt Danny's hands clasping the necklace onto her neck. Reaching up to get a clearer view of the ring on the necklace, Meredith couldn't help the tears that were threatening to fall anytime.

'This is really beautiful,' Meredith gasped, fingering the ring on it lightly.

Smiling, Danny took out his ring from underneath his shirt too; showing her what was inscribed on the two silver bands. 'See, there's my initial on your ring, and your initial on mine. This way, we'll remember each other.'

Meredith smiled brightly at this thoughtful action and soon noticed the half heart that was on the side of the band. 'Where's the other half?'

Danny took the ring from her fingers and locked hers with his together, showing her the full heart that now formed. 'There it is.' He joked, emitting laughters from Meredith. _At least she's laughing now,_ he thought, taking in the smiling form of her face.

'This is really thoughtful. Thanks loads, Dans.' With that, Meredith hugged Danny by the neck, catching him by surprise. 'Let's go back to the swing; we'll spend the remaining time we have together there.'

Danny nodded in agreement, and took her by the hands, making their way towards the swing. Just like the first day they met, Danny stooped down and plucked a white daisy from his mother's pot and gave it to Meredith, who happily took it.

'This much like the first time we met, isn't it?' she commented, sitting down on the swing.

Slightly pushing her on the back, 'Yeap, and now, I'm gonna push you like the first time we met.'

Meredith's laughs rang through the whole backyard while Danny decided to stop for awhile, and lay down beside the swing. Staring up at the sky, he did not notice Meredith getting off the seat and laying down next to him. Soon, he could feel Meredith's slender fingers lacing into his as she snuggled closer into him.

'You'll be calling me, right?' she was afraid that once Danny moved away from her, they would drift apart, forgetting the childhood they had together.

Danny tore his eyes from the sky and stared into Meredith's twinkling blues, that now held sadness and anticipation. Smiling softly, he said, 'Yes, I'll call you everyday.'

'That's fine. But I won't be paying for the bills.' She joked, while Danny turned his attention back to the sky.

'Can I do something?' Danny turned her attention back to her once again, but this time, she was just staring at him, awaiting his answer.

'Ehh, sure.' Looking at her again, Danny could feel her edging nearer to him before she closed her eyes and pecked him lightly on the lips, lingering on it. Danny was shocked by her actions, but soon closed his eyes, and kissed her back, making her smile against him.

Breaking for air, Meredith moved her head away from his face and placed it beside his, with their hands still intertwined together.

'You wouldn't forget me, would you?' Meredith asked, now staring at the sky above them, while her other hand fiddled with the daisy.

Danny was shocked by the frankness of her question, but decided to answer her nonetheless. 'Nope, not in a million years.'

'Me too.'

And just like that, the two teenagers spent the rest of their day together, staring at the sky above them, wondering if each other would be able to keep the promise they sealed.

* * *

there ya go,  
hope it went well.  
REVIEWSSS

_CHEERIOS._


	5. Empty Promises

Thanks for the reviews, guys!  
It's great to know people do enjoy the story.  
you know the usual disclaimer thingy, so yea.  
I own _Meredith_ and _Hayden._

**xoxo,  
herbieunloaded.**

* * *

_Turning her head a little so she was able to talk to him, Meredith asked, 'Will the things in the song happen? Because I don't want it to.'_

_Danny turned his head too, so now, they were facing each other. 'I doubt so, I promise.' Holding out his little finger, he waited while Meredith reached up and locked her own with his. Then, both of them pecked their hands lightly, to seal the promise. _

* * *

**- Present, 5 years later - **

Promises. Meredith lay back onto the suede sofa in her recording room and scoffed at the word, carefully placing her empty coffee mug onto the table beside her. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she sighed inwardly as memories of the promise they made to each other flooded back into her mind again.

_Promises are nothing. They are meant to be broken,_ she thought bitterly. Ever since the day Danny Jones left for London, Meredith waited for his call or even a letter day and night. But all she got in return were empty waiting. For three long years. _For three goddamn long years,_ she thought again. She couldn't believe how dumb she was to have taken that 'promise' so seriously.

After three long years, Meredith decided to give up waiting and enrolled herself into a music school, where she learnt all about composing songs and writing lyrics. When she was young, she'd often write the verses to a song while Danny would be the one composing the melody. It shocked Meredith when the song they wrote together in the last week prior to his departure was recorded in McFly's previous album as the song 'Memory Lane'. She wasn't angry about Danny using the song without her permission, but she _IS_ sad about not being able to complete the song together with him.

Wanting to pursue her dream of being a lyricist after graduating from the school, she and her best friend at the music school, Hayden decided to get a job as lyricists for one of the label companies in London together, and fortunately, they were both accepted.

Even though she was angry at his cold response, Meredith couldn't bear to throw their last memory away. The necklace. Reaching up unknowingly, she took the silver ring out of her shirt and stared at the tiny words engraved inside the band.

_Stupid, empty, dimwitted words that promised nothing. Now and forever? He can jolly well kiss my arse_. Pushing the ring back into her shirt, she grabbed the newest copy of Female First from the coffee table and began flipping through it lazily when a certain report made Meredith's heart give a horrible lurch. There it was, happy little Danny Jones hugging yet another girl close to him, canoodling away madly in a park.

Each time Meredith opened the magazine, Danny idiot Jones' face will be there, involved in juicy gossips of hitting up girls, and dirty dancing with them in clubs. It so happened that every time she wanted to forget about him completely, his face would show up again, reminding her, 'Hey, I'm still here to make your life miserable.'

Tugging her loose, auburn curls, Meredith let out a frustrated cry just as the door of the recording room opened.

'Hey, ho- what's wrong?' chucking her tote bag aside, her best friend, Hayden, rushed over and sat beside Meredith, putting a comforting hand around her.

'It's him and his stupid face again. Ugh. He just can't seem to leave me alone aye?' Meredith laughed bitterly, putting her face into her hands. She lifted her eyes when she heard chuckling from Hayden. Sending her a glare, she changed her annoyance to confusion as Hayden was still laughing at something she said, or something she_ thought_ she said.

'Hello? Your BFF's having some kinda emotional turmoil here? Have some pity will ya?' scowling, she couldn't take it any longer, and asked, 'Alright, spill. What's so funny?'

'He doesn't leave you alone, his strapped to your back, following you around like a piece of snot.' Meredith raised an auburn eyebrow at her, failing to find a hint of humor in that feeble joke she tried making. Sighing at her failed attempt to cheer her up, Hayden clapped her hands together loudly, earning a glare from Meredith who is now clutching her chest, gasping at the sudden sound.

'A little warning would be fine, woman.'

'Sorry, it's just that I remembered why I came for you. Lea wants to speak with us. Something 'bout a band needing our help in writing songs. So', standing up, Hayden brushed her dress slightly and pulled Meredith up with her, 'let's go now. We wouldn't want to keep her waiting.'

Dragging Meredith behind her, she grabbed both their bags and made for Lea's office, which was located at the far end of the hallway. Lea was their boss, and you could say she's a devil in disguise. Being her assistance for nearly 2 years, both girls had learnt when was the best time to fool around and when was the time where they had to be serious and rigid. Knocking on the glass door, they waited for a muffled 'Enter.'

When they entered, Meredith and Hayden made themselves comfortable on the seats in front of her desk, where files and CDs were strewn everywhere.

'As you both know, our label company has just recruited a new band, so, we've decided to put you both into helping their next album. Questions?' Lea propped her chin on top of her locked hands and gazed at the two of them through her hazel eyes.

Shaking their heads, Lea gave them a smile and said, 'Alright, you'll be meeting them tomorrow mornin' at ten, so, please, be punctual.' Nodding intently at Meredith on the last part, causing her to blush. 'You may go now.'

When the two girls walked out of the office did they realize they did not ask who the new band was.

Hayden shrugged her shoulders. 'It's okay. Anyways, we'll be seeing them tomorrow.'

Meredith nodded, 'Yea. I hope it won't be those snobbish bastards we were working for last time. I've had enough of their _I've-got-some-kinda-dirt-stuck-under-my-nose_ look.' Chuckling, the girls went to get ready their stuffs for the meeting tomorrow. Oddly enough, Meredith had this whooping sensation in her stomach that seems to be telling her she's was in for a big surprise tomorrow.

* * *

i know it's a crappy chap,  
but i'm having a slight fever now ):  
bloody hell.  
reviews to make me feel better, MAYBE :D

_CHEERIOS!_


	6. Hello, nice to meet you

EXCITINGGGGG,  
**reviews, huns**  
_too close for comfort, i'm glad you liked it :D_

xoxo,  
herbieunloaded

* * *

**_Narrator's POV_**

"Mer! You done yet?" Hayden called out from the living room, "for the millionth time, we're bloody running late!"

Flustered, Meredith flung her printed mini dress over her head and pulled her grey ankle tights up her thigh. "I'm coming, just a minute!" scrambling to her vanity, she grabbed her brush and ran it through her auburn locks before tying it up into a high ponytail and allowed a few strands of hair to fly out of their places. She then motioned to comb down her bangs so that her eyebrows were now blocked by it and began putting on her light makeup. Meredith wasn't a fond believer in the whole _cosmetics-make-you-pretty-so-you'd-better-pile-them-on _thing. So very often, she'd just put on a little bit of foundation, some nude lip-gloss, a little mascara, eyeliner and a blush. To her, being natural was the most important. Unlike those artificial models that strut the stage with their faces looking like a Da Vinci painting.

Finally done with the blush, she then grabbed all her belongings and threw it into her tote bag. Her purse, cellphone, iPod, the small make-up kit and lastly, her inhaler. She never knew when her next asthma attack was going to happen, though it has been years since the last one. Zipping her bag, she slung it over her shoulders and grabbed her Chanel shades that were useful for both, fashion purposes, and also to avoid the public eye. You may think that being songwriters, they'd not be having crazy fans running after them, chasing their heads off. But for Meredith and Hayden, they've still got their own fair share of supporters.

"Took you long enough, huh." Hayden huffed, apparently, she wasn't a morning person. And, she hated waiting. Meredith took out her shocking blue heels and slipped them on, before turning back to her annoyed friend.

With her sweetest voice, Meredith walked over to Hayden and pulled her up, "Oh c'mon, best friend, y'know you can't stay angry with me forever." She gave Hayden the puppy eyes and dolly pout until she had to cry out in frustration.

"Alright, alright. Now get rid of this gay face and return me my friend." She groaned.

"C'mon, let's go. I'll drive today." Meredith offered since they drove Hayden's car yesterday.

Finally reaching the company, they grabbed their things and ran to the lift, their heels making loud, and clinging noises on the glazed, marble floor. Stepping into the lift, Hayden pushed the button for their floor quite forcefully, earning a few indignant looks from the other people who worked in this building. Slowly, the lift ascended until the door open again, this time, to their floor. Stepping out, they stopped and turned to face each other.

"Breath check," they said in unison.

"Clothes check,"

"Make up check,"

Smiling at each other with the brightest smile ever, they said the last sentence in unison again, "Sunny smiles double checked."

Linking arms with each other, the girls strolled down the corridor of the office confidently, but Meredith couldn't help but feel the same whooping sensation as the one she had yesterday. Walking towards their usual recording room, they noticed a guy standing near the door, waiting nervously for someone, that was apparently, them.

Heaving a sigh of relief when he saw them, the guy ran up to them and introduced himself, almost immediately.

"Good mornin'. My name's Fletch and I'm the boys' manager." He was practically dragging them in, "they're in there waiting already, c'mon."

Meredith, however stopped in her tracks, her hand on the knob, Fletch seems to spark up some sort of familiarity within her. "What's the band's name?" she asked, turning the knob.

"It's McFly, hun. How could yo-"

"WHAT!?" Just when the door opened, Meredith turned around and shouted straight into Fletch's face, scaring the poor man out of his daylights. The girls turned back towards the door, facing the band, whose heads were now turned in their direction, hands and mouths hanging in mid air.

Instinctively, Hayden's hand reached up and grabbed Meredith's hands, and gave it a little squeeze, knowing the past between her and Danny. Trying her best to smile, she squeezed Meredith's hands again to bring her out of the trance, shooting her a warning look before watching a smile being forced up her usual cheery face that now seemed ashen.

* * *

**_Meredith's POV_**

Thank Jesus my shades are covering my face, I thought silently while walking up towards the boys. I couldn't help but stare at Danny. There he was. Danny Jones. Danny idiot Jones. That jerk who walked out on me five years ago. Here in front of me, smiling as though nothing had happened. He looked really different now, as compared to the past. His usual straightened hair had now returned to their messy curls that hung around his face limply, making his twinkling blue eyes even harder to see under the beanie. _He looks kinda hot actually, _I thought, before mentally stabbing myself to have such stupid thoughts. _He walked out on you, remember?_

I felt another squeeze from Hayden, who seemed to be comforting me, thank god she's here. I wouldn't know what could've happen if I was alone. Slowly, the boys stood up and introduced themselves, smiling goofily at us. Offering their hands to each of us, we shook them good naturedly until Danny stretched his hand towards me for a handshake.

"Hi, Danny's the name." he smirked at me.

Hesitating slightly, I could see Hayden throwing me a warning look from the corner of my eye. Sighing, I took his hand, gave it a shake and let go immediately, much to his confusion.

"Why're you wearing shades in the room? Don't cha wanna take em' off?" Tom asked, staring amusedly at me, whose face was half hidden by the big, coloured glasses. I hesitated for a moment again, until Hayden gave me another light squeeze on the hand. Sighing, I took off the shades slowly and heard a gasp from Danny.

"My name's Meredith Hamilton. Nice to _meet_ you." I said, emphasizing on the word 'meet' and looking everywhere but at Danny, who was staring at me with his eyes and mouth wide open.

* * *

**_Danny's POV_**

When the door opened, a loud "WHAT!?" resounded through the whole room, giving me and the boys a shock. Turning our attention to the door, I was surprised to see two hot chicks standing at the doorway, staring at Fletch with really annoyed looks on their faces. Then, they spun around and the girl with the shades immediately gave me a sense of familiarity, Meredith. But this couldn't be her, right? I mean, she's not supposed to be here. No one seemed to notice the internal turmoil I was having and was now introducing them. Breaking out of my trance, I stood up and stretched my hand towards the girl with the shades.

'"Hi, Danny's the name." I then gave my trademark smirk, only to have it fade away when I realized the girl was hesitating in returning the handshake. Sighing, she took my hand unwillingly, gave it a shake once and let go immediately, like it was something scalding. It almost seemed like she was afraid of touching me, or even talking to me.

Hurt with being rejected, I flumped down onto the suede sofa again, staring at the girl, who was determinedly staring back at me but turned away when I looked at her.

Tom's voice broke the awkward silence and asked her, "Why're you wearing shades in the room? Don't cha wanna take em' off?"

The girl seemed to hesitate again, like she had had to be extra careful around them. Sighing, she reluctantly took off her shades and looked up, smiling and looking at everyone except me, which was when I gave a gasp. Meredith. It really was her. Gosh, how she had grown. I could feel my mouth and eyes widen at her gradually, but it was the introduction that hurt me the most.

"My name's Meredith Hamilton. Nice to _meet_ you." She then offered her hands to everyone, who were shaking enthusiastically in return.

Wait a minute, did she just say meet us? She's forgotten about me, I thought sadly before being brought out of my trance by a nudge from Dougie. It was then that I realized Meredith's hands in front of me, waiting for me to shake it. Grabbing her hands, I felt a warm and tingly feeling travel up when Dougie chose to talk at this precise moment.

'Sorry, his always distracted in the presence of hot birds of the universe." Dougie explained a serious look on his face, which earned a slight laugh from Meredith until she gave a few dry coughs. She's still suffering from asthma.

* * *

**_Back to Meredith's POV_**

I gave a few dry coughs while laughing and blushed slightly under the stares of everyone.

"Excuse me, anyways; this is my best friend cum songwriting buddy, Hayden Keane." I introduced Hayden to the rest, who was apparently left out in the conversation. When Tom and Hayden were shaking hands, however, I could feel a slight chemistry between them through the way they looked and smiled at each other.

_I've gotta ask her about it after this_, making a mental note to myself.

"Alright, so we're done with the introductions and whatnots. Now let's get back to business." Tom said in a mock professional tone, smirking slightly at Hayden who was blushing so brightly, I swore that if we turned off the lights, she could glow.

While the others were talking amongst themselves, I could feel Danny's eyes on my again. Getting a little annoyed of getting stared at, I turned to him and asked, "D'ya know it's rude to stare and not say anything?"

Hearing me talk to him, he gave another loud gasp, before turning his eyes away from me. Sighing, I returned to the discussions with the rest.

"So anyways, we're planning on a song about sorry not being good enough for a reason in a break up. Can you write it?" Tom asked, looking at the both of us.

I gave a hesitant nod but Hayden gave more than just a nod.

"Oh, that's gonna be Mer's kinda genre, she specializes in writing songs that involve guys going away and forgetting the girls, vice versa. She's got lotsa exper-" I nudged her hard in the ribs, causing her to hiss in pain. Looking at the look on my face, she gave me an _oh-shit-I-am-so-super-sorry_ pout.

The others however, were looking at the two of us, hoping we could explain further but we just fell silent. This time, the awkward silence was broken by me when I started into a fit of dry, hacking coughs.

I could hear Hayden in the background asking, "Mer, you alright?"

_What a great time to have a relapse,_ I thought sarcastically as my throat started to tighten up, making it difficult for me to breathe. I fumbled in my tote bag for my inhaler while Hayden started patting me on the back. Soon, another pair of hands was patting lightly on my back when I started sucking on the inhaler.

"Is she okay?" I recognized that voice as Harry's and the three of them stared at me, having the time of my life.

"She's asthmatic," Danny said this time, patting lightly on my back. "It's alright, just breathe slowly now, relax."

Following his steps, I continued to press onto the can till my throat started to relax and the tension stopped. Taking in a few deep breaths, I was now surrounded by the whole group, including Fletch who was holding his cellphone tightly.

"You okay now?" Hayden asked, still patting me lightly.

"Couldn't have been better." I wheezed. Standing up with the help of Hayden, we turned to the boys and gathered our things.

"I'll just go home for a rest now, maybe I might have a few ideas that'll pop up while I'm sleeping. We'll meet up again sometime then. Bye." Waving goodbyes at the band and Fletch, me and Hayden stepped outside as I nearly broke into tears immediately. Knowing my weakened state, Hayden supported me down without complains and started driving me home.

Pulling over in the car park, we walked back upstairs before I finally gave in and cried so hard, I thought I was gonna have another relapse.

"Hey, hey hey, hush now honey," Hayden brought me into her arms as I sobbed, soothing down my hair, "it's alright, I'm here. Let's get you back into your room." I nodded, since I was tired from the meeting and the sudden relapse. Lying on the bed, I drifted off to sleep, with the last thought as me kissing Danny when we were fifteen.

* * *

**_Danny's POV_**

I slumped back down onto the sofa and watched Meredith's retreating body leave the room.

"Hey, dude, what was all that bout'?" Dougie asked, staring at me.

"Yea, Dans, how did you know she's got asthma?" now, it was Harry.

Sighing, I placed my head into my hands. "I knew cause', she was my childhood best friend from Bolton."

"Ohhhh," was their only reply as I continued to slump down in defeat, thinking about how much she must've hated me fro not contacting her.

* * *

MY FAVOURITEEEEE  
thanks for the reviews :D

xoxo,


	7. Where's my cookie jar?

OH WOW!  
Thanks for the **reviews** darlings!  
Glad y'all liked the story so far

Anyways, I'm using the song 'Sorry's not good enough' by McFly :D  
Just thought I'll put the disclaimer here.

xoxo,  
herbieunloaded

* * *

_  
I can't stop, I can't stop loving you.  
__You're a dreamer and dreaming's what you do,  
I won't start believing that this is the end, there must be another way.  
Cause I couldn't handle the thought of you going away,_

Biting on her lower lips, Meredith hunched over the coffee table and screwed up her face, in search for words that could make up another verse, joining the one she had scrawled on her notepad hastily. She was alone in the studio today to work on it while Hayden met up with the band to discuss another one. Meredith placed her head onto the cold, hard glass surface and started tapping her head with the pencil in frustration. She had been working on the song for a couple of days now, but all she could think up of was one pathetic verse and thousands of scrunched up balls, lying abandoned around her. Songwriting was an enjoyment for her, but days where her mind seemed to be sucked out by a vacuum irritated her. Grunting in annoyance, she pulled herself up reluctantly and walked over to the pantry. Grabbing her mug off the tray, she placed the coffee powder into the coffee maker and waited for her 'energy-replenisher' to wake her up, along with the ideas that were playing hide-and-seek with her the past few days. 

It had been a tiring week for her, with meeting Danny for the first time after five years as the most tedious and unexpected thing that happened to Meredith. Ever since the day they met in the studio, she tried her best to avoid him, changing her schedules whenever she knew that they'd both be in the company on the same day, at the same time. This 'shunning each other' thing was making things really hard for Meredith, for she could only use the studio at night, the only time where McFly won't be in there. After the coffee was brewed, Meredith went around in search for her cookie jar which she always had around for a snack, only to realize it was missing.

"Just great, even the cookies are against me." Sighing in defeat, Meredith took her cup and walked back into the studio quietly. It was already half past six, and most of the people in the office had gone home, all except her. She pushed the studio door and gave a loud cry of surprise.

"BOO!" a head popped out from behind the door and gave Meredith such a big shock that she slurped the hot coffee down her front, scalding her instantly.

"Oww, fuck." Swearing loudly, she set down her mug on the coffee table hardly, slopping more coffee onto the table and ran around the room, holding her soaking shirt away from her chest.

"UGH, hot, hot, hot!" Meredith cried out as the sensation of the heat from the 'energy-replenisher' touched her like the tongues of fire. Having finally cooled down, Meredith grabbed some tissues from the box and was dabbing the soaking brown spot when she realized the other five pair of eyes that were staring at her in amusement in the room. Almost simultaneously, McFly and Hayden burst out in howls of laughter, while Meredith just stood there with a scowl on her delicate face.

"Oh yea, go ahead, laugh for all ya want." Rolling her eyes, Meredith went back to cleaning herself, drawing a few more tissues from the box.

"But honestly, dude, you should've seen your face when Dougie scared you, and the way you ran around the room like a… chicken." Harry said, between gasps of laughter.

"First my cookie jar's gone, now I'm soaked in coffee, what next?" Meredith laughed cynically and dumped the pieces of soaked up tissues into the wastepaper basket. When she turned around and walked back to the sofa, she noticed the others throwing nervous glances at each other, as though they were having some kind of non conversational conversation. Shaking her head, she asked "Is there a problem?"

This time however, Danny spoke up, pulling out something from behind his back, his eyes holding a guilty look. It was her cookie jar. Her _empty_ cookie jar to be precise.

"Erm, we sorta found your cookie jar, and the cookies sorta found their way into our stomachs." Danny laughed nervously at his attempt at a feeble joke, only to receive no laughter from Meredith but just a stony stare.

"It's alright. It's just cookies." She laughed again, this time, her voice dripping with sarcasm while the rest look at the two of them, mouth wide open, "Anyways, this is just you isn't it? Doing things and not bothering to explain or tell the person why. It's okay, really. I'm used to it. Used to waiting for your bloody answers."

She gathered her things and stuffed them into her bag, a dense and awkward silence hanging in the air between them. Slinging her tote bag over her shoulders, Meredith turned to Tom and wagged a bossy finger at him, "I'm gonna head home first, don't get my friend back too late, alright."

She placed her hands onto the doorknob. Turning it, she turned back to them once again. "Well, goodnight guys. Seeya tomorrow. And Hayden," Hayden's head snapped to Meredith and stared at her in confusion, "no hanky panky please." Laughing, she closed the door and walked down the deserted corridor when the door opened again. Meredith tilted her head slightly to find herself getting lost in a pair of twinkling blue eyes, the ones she had been longing to see.

"Yes, Jones? Anything I can help you with? If not, pardon me, I'm getting really tired." Meredith used his last name instead of Danny. Using the name Danny was only for close friends, as she thought so bluntly. _We could never be close friends again, he gave up his chance of being my friend,_ she thought while staring determinedly back at Danny, who was staring at the carpeted ground as though there was something interesting on it.

"Horight, I'll take that as a no then. Good night to you too." Whipping around, Meredith motioned to continue her walk towards the door when she was stopped by a hand on her shoulders.

"Wait," Danny's voice was unexceptionally small and quiet today, unlike the usual, old Danny, the one who used to be her best friend.

"I just wanted to say…."

* * *

harharhar,  
cliffhangerrrrrrrrr,

CHEERIOS.


	8. Comforting Bacon

HELLO!

I'm really happy with the reviews and comments :D  
I hope this chap ain't too crappy or cheesy or cliché.

xoxo,  
herbieunloaded.

* * *

"_Wait," Danny's voice was unexceptionally small and quiet today, unlike the usual, old Danny, the one who used to be her best friend.  
_"_I just wanted to say…"_

**Meredith's POV**

"I just wanted to say… I'm sorry." I gasped, feeling anger boil in me at hearing the words coming from his mouth. That's all? Just an I'm sorry? All these years, and he actually thought a single 'I'm sorry' is going to do the trick? Controlling myself, I refrained from slapping him across the face as hard as I could by balling up my hands into fists, before turning ever so slowly to face him, a sickly, sweet smile on my face.

"Sorry? Ha Ha. That's all?" I shook my head, as the anger slowly continued to rise once again, "Let me ask you something, Mr Jones, what exactly are you apologizing for?"

He was now starring at the floor again, refusing to look into my eyes. Now, I could feel four other pair of eyes peeking from behind the studio door, listening to every word I was saying. But I didn't care. Taking in a huge breath, I let out all my frustrations and anger at one go, tears stinging my eyes painfully.

"Are you thinking that a simple 'I'm sorry' is gonna make me forgive you? Forgive you for making me miserable? Forgive you for making me wait, for what, oh wow, _five _goddamn long years? Forgive you for walking out on me when you were my best friend? Well, newsflash, Danny. Because I doubt I will. For the years I've waited for you, I've got back nothing. Not even a single phone call. Why? Guess you were _way_ too busy hooking up girls to have even called haven't you? I should've known better, really, I should've known so much better than to trust you, and to keep that stupid fucking promise in my mind all this while." Finally, I couldn't take it anymore as the tears poured from my sky blues and onto my cheeks that were now rosy from the outburst. Trying my best to regain my composure, I took in a few deep breaths to calm myself down until Danny broke my thoughts.

"Then why're you still wearing the necklace?"

Hearing the question, I froze and stared straight back at Danny, who was now staring straight back at me too, waiting for an answer. Closing my eyes for a brief moment, I took in another breath and said softly, "Because I thought you were gonna come back for me. I decided to wear it until you were going to come back and explain why you didn't call, why you didn't carry out that stupid promise."

I shook my head again, laughing at my own silliness. "Instead, all I've got back was a simple, 'I'm sorry'. Things don't happen and end that way, Danny. We explain our actions, not apologize for doing them without explaining." Reaching up, I unclasped the necklace from my neck and pushed it back to him before turning on my heels.

"There, take it back, give it to one of your girls, I'm sure they'll like it."

Without waiting for Danny's response, I started walking back towards the main door, ignoring the gapping stares I was receiving from Hayden, Tom, Harry, Dougie and also, Danny.

* * *

**Narrator's POV**

Unlocking the front door, Meredith thought about the little outburst she had earlier before driving straight home, guitars and drums blasting through the stereo to keep her mind off things. As soon as the door opened with a click, Meredith and Hayden's dog, Bacon pounced on her and began licking her, spreading slimy saliva across her cheeks.

Meredith laughed and pulled the puppy off, cuddling it into her arms "Alright, alright, Bacon, stop."

Meredith went straight up her room and placed Bacon in his own bed. Throwing her own bag onto the couch, Meredith sighed at the sight of her bed.

"Finally, my source of comfort's in front of me." Slipping off her heels and into her Spongebob slippers, Meredith proceeded to clean herself up and change into her nightclothes before flopping down onto the soft covers of her bed.

Staring up at the ceiling that was lighted up by the little glow-in-the-dark- stars, Meredith's mind began drifting off to the fight she and Danny had an hour ago.

"Was I a little harsh?" she muttered into the darkness of the room. She shook her head and cursed herself mentally when she realized she herself was having doubts in herself.

"Shut up, Meredith Hamilton. He deserved it all." Turning on her side, Meredith frowned at the empty space beside her and sat up.

"Bacon, come up." Meredith patted the space beside her and ordered Bacon to jump up and accompany her, which he did fairly enthusiastically. Jumping onto the soft covers of the bed, the puppy cuddled into Meredith as she wrapped and arm around the dog, smoothing its fur.

"It's always good to have you around." She muttered, drifting off into sleep when she heard the front door open.

* * *

there ya have it :D  
it's a rather short chappie.  
**reviews please.**

_cheerios._


	9. Morning surprises

I'm down with fever!  
UGHHHHHHH.  
This is so discomforting.  
I'll try to finish up as many chapters as I can,  
Seeing it's nearly the end. _NEARLY.  
_IMPT: Sorry's not good enough does not belong to me :D

you guys have gotta review :D  
i wont be continuing without more reviews.  
SORRY.

xoxo,  
herbieunloaded

* * *

Meredith awoke to the sensation of something warm and slimy lapping at her cheeks, until the full view of Bacon came into view, licking her face and wagging its tail. Realizing his owner beginning to wake up, Bacon gave a few barks and nudged Meredith's head. 

"Ugh, Bacon, back off." She groaned, sitting up on her bed as the glaring sunlight began to pour into her room through the open window. Covering her eyes from the blinding light, Meredith wiped the sloppy saliva and the sleep off her face with the sleeve of her nightdress and kissed Bacon on his nose before slipping into her Spongebob slippers.

"C'mon, let's go have your favourite breakfast." With that, she carried the puppy and opened the door to be welcomed by a waft of cooking breakfast. Smiling to herself, Meredith placed the puppy on the floor and made her way into the kitchen, to find not only Hayden, but Tom snogging.

When the two heard footsteps behind them, they whipped their head around and sprang apart while Meredith stood by the kitchen's doorway, her lips curling into a smirk. The couple blushed wildly and stared at the ground when Bacon began barking at Tom. The next moment, the smell of burnt breakfast filled up the whole kitchen. Meredith continued to stand by the doorway, watching the couple remove the pan from the fire hastily before bursting out laughing at the same time. They moved to make the breakfast again, while smiling at each other, happiness evident on their faces.

Moving from the door, Meredith took out the carton of orange juice and three cups, filling them with the orangey liquid. She set the carton aside and took out Bacon's water bowl, filling them with water. Sipping the cold, sour juice, Meredith took out her notepad and pen and began filling in the song that had been a 'work-in-progress' ever since last week.

Tapping the pen on her head, she watched as Tom and Hayden began helping each other with the eggs and bacons, until Tom gave Hayden a sounding kiss on her forehead. Smiling at the sight in front of her, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy at their happiness. Turning her eyes back to the first verse, the words slowly began to form sentences in her mind while she hastily jotted down her ideas.

_I can't stop, I can't stop loving you.  
You're a dreamer and dreaming's what you do,  
I won't start believing that this is the end, there must be another way.  
Cause I couldn't handle the thought of you going away, woah yeah. _

_Sorry's not good enough, why are we breaking up?  
Cause I didn't treat you rough so please don't go changing.  
What was I thinking of?  
You said you're out of love, baby don't call this off because sorry's not good enough.  
_

Smiling at another newly formed verse, she put the writing materials aside when her breakfast was pushed towards her.

"So," Meredith poked her fork into her eggs. She had just given part of her bacon to Bacon, who was wagging his tail in excitement at the food, "when did all this happen?"

Tom and Hayden blushed a little, but soon, began to smile at each other fondly.

Hayden turned back to Meredith who was now, waiting for their answers with one of her eyebrow raised. "Well, he asked me on a date when we first met. Then from that date came another date, then another and another an-" she motioned to continue but was cut off by Meredith.

"Okay, okay, I got it already!" the group a laughed a little slipped into silence again, eating their breakfast in silence.

After a few moments Tom helped to collect the empty plates and began washing them while Meredith stood up, grabbed her writing materials and her half finished juice.

"I'll be in my room the whole day today. Need anything, just find me, I'll be there." Walking down the hallway with Bacon trudging beside her, Meredith was about to turn into her room when the doorbell sounded. Sensing Tom and Hayden could be doing something 'important', she called out to them, "I'll get it!" placed her writing materials on the coffee table and went for the door.

Before she could reach the door, the doorbell sounded again and Bacon, being the kind of dog that was ever protective of their owner despite its midget size began to bark loudly at the door, while whispers and gasps sounded from the other side.

"Bacon, back." Meredith ordered, pushing the puppy behind her with her leg and struggled to open the door. Finally grasping the doorknob, she turned and saw Harry, Dougie and to her dismay, Danny, standing on their porch.

"Good morning, pretty lady!" Dougie greeted her enthusiastically, seeming to forget about the incident last night.

"Morning, people. What're you doing here?" Meredith smiled in return at Harry and Dougie, and obviously ignoredDanny.

"Oh, Tom told us to come here. Said to finish up some of the songs by today. So, here we are." Harry replied, then smirked, "Aren't you gonna like, let us in?"

"Oh yes! Sorry." Meredith then stepped back and allowed the three guys to go into the house when Bacon rushed from behind her and lunged at Danny and began licking his face while Danny just laughed and ruffled its fur.

"Oh golly, Bacon! Stop it!" putting her juice on the counter, Meredith rushed over to the tangled mess and pried the puppy from Danny and carried Bacon around in her arms, in case he decided to lunge at Danny again. Turning around the corner, Meredith went behind the counter and pulled out a few pieces of tissue papers. She walked back and handed Danny the tissues tentatively, not knowing if he'd accept her act of kindness.

Meredith was shocked when Danny accepted the tissues gratefully, and muttered a soft "Thanks," to her before bursting out in howls of laughter at the puppy.

"Sorry 'bout that, he doesn't usually pounce on strangers and start licking them." She said in reply to his unasked question. Turning around she gapped at the sight of Dougie and Harry already engrossed in their video games before grabbing her things and headed for her room. Turning back to the three McFlyers, she said, "Well, I'll be in my room now, go up to the second level and you'd find my room straightaway if there's any problem. Don't worry, Bacon's coming with me." She moved up the stairs but turned back again and whispered, "Best don't go into the kitchen now, Tom and Hayden's rather busy." Laughing slightly, she closed her door with a snap.

Meredith heaved a huge sigh of relief and leaned onto the door, while Bacon just stood in front of her, wagging his tail, confused at why his owner was sighing.

"C'mere, we'll continue with the song." she settled herself comfortably in her bed with Bacon lying beside her with its head in between its paws. Smiling at the small sleeping companion, Meredith reached over and scratched the puppy behind the ears and went on with her song. She stared at the two paragraphs in front of her, before bringing herself towards the table by the window. That was her favourite spot and also the place where many of her songs were written. Sighing comfortably in the cushioned couch, she closed her eyes for a brief moment just as another verse popped up in her mind.

_Don't stop, all those things you do.  
I'm a believer and that's what gets you through,  
I can't fight this feeling that this is the end,  
We're in the thick of it, where will this ever end? Woah, woah. _

_Sorry's not good enough, why are we breaking up?  
Cause I didn't treat you rough so please don't go changing.  
What was I thinking of?  
You said you're out of love, baby don't call this off because sorry's not good enough.  
_

She thought of the many sad memories that Danny gave her and waited as they slowly formed into another few verses to go with the rest of the story. It was times like these that Meredith loved the most, when words and songs came freely to her, calling out to her to write them out and produce great songs.

_For you said you'd never leave me here, be there to hold and please me.  
Sorry's just not good enough for you,  
But everybody makes mistakes and that's just what we do. _

_Good, good, good, good enough.  
Good, good, good enough.  
Good, good, good enough.  
Good, good. _

_Don't go changing[X8  
Don't go changing (sorry's not good enough),  
Don't go changing (sorry's not good enough),  
Don't go changing (sorry's not good enough),  
Don't go changing. _

_Sorry's not good enough, why are we breaking up?  
Cause I didn't treat you rough so please don't go changing.  
What was I thinking of?  
You said you're out of love, baby don't call this off because sorry's not good enough.  
Sorry's not good enough.  
Sorry's not good enough  
_

Just as Meredith jotted down the last word for the song, a knock sounded on her door.

"Come in," she replied, making her way back to her bed to cuddle the puppy that was woken up by the knock on her door. Slowly, her door opened to reveal Danny with a guitar strapped on his back smiling at her. Growing stiff for awhile, Meredith smiled back in return and restrained the puppy from running to Danny.

"Err, yes?" she asked, wondering what he was doing in her room.

"I was just coming up to see if the song's finished." He replied, standing behind the door, not daring to sit until Meredith allowed him to.

"Just in time, I've just finished it." Pushing the notepad in front of her, Meredith patted the space and said, "Sit down, stop standing."

Cautiously, Danny moved over to her bed and sat down, before turning the notepad so he was able to read the lyrics. Scanning the paper, he smiled in agreement at how fluently Meredith was able to write a song and took out his guitar. Strumming the strings, he played some chords and tried fixing the song with a melody. Meredith now placed Bacon in between them but still held a hand out to restrain the puppy. Staring at the guitar, she closed her eyes and laid her head back at the melodious sounds of the notes Danny was playing.

After a few minutes of trying, Danny finally found the correct notes to go with the lyrics perfectly.

"I found the perfect melody!" he cried, looking up from the paper he had just scribbled the notes with, to find Meredith sleeping peacefully on her bed, her auburn loose curls spread around her.

With a sigh, Danny gathered his things and decided to take a look around her room. Walking towards her vanity, Danny realized pictures of her and Hayden pasted all around the mirror. Tearing his eyes from her beauty in the mirror, his blue eyes fell on a picture frame that was very familiar to him.

The picture in the frame was one of him and her together when they were fifteen. It was Meredith's birthday and they had decided to throw a party at the Hamiltons'. They took the picture alone, both smiling happily up at the camera. It was times like these that Danny missed the most. Moving towards the bed, Danny strapped his guitar onto his back again and was about to walk to the door when he turned and took his one last look at Meredith. Kissing her lightly across her forehead, Danny crossed the room and opened the door, leaving for the kitchen where the rest of the group was.

* * *

there ya go,  
i'm feeling worst now.  
please review.  
it's getting a little low ):

_CHEERIOS_


	10. Dinner & Dishes

HELLO!  
I _reallyyyyy reallyyy_ hope to get more reviews :D  
this is a longggggg chappie :D

xoxo,  
herbieunloaded

* * *

After Danny left Meredith's room, he made his way to the kitchen, thinking that the rest were in there, only to heard voices and laughter from the living room. Changing his direction, Danny left for the living room instead and found the others laughing animatedly at what Dougie was talking about. 

They seem to have heard Danny as they whipped their heads around to the sound of the footstep. Danny slumped down onto one of the couches and placed his guitar gingerly beside him and also the lyrics in front of him.

"So, the song's finished?" Tom looked at him and took the notepad from the table. "Ahhh, so it has. Have you thought of the melody for the song, dude?"

Running his hands across his face, Danny rubbed the sleepiness and guilt from his face and replied in a gruffly tone, "Yea, came up with it just now. Wanna hear?"

The rest nodded eagerly while Danny brought up his guitar from the side of the couch and began strumming the strings.

"Ehh, it's only the guitar part, for bass and drums we'd have to think 'bout it later." Dougie and Harry nodded and motioned for him to start the singing.

Plucking his fingers onto the string, the melody from the guitar sounded out as the whole house was filled with the chords. Closing his eyes, Danny's melodious voice started singing the song, while the others looked on, captivated.

_Good, good, good, good enough.  
Good, good, good enough.  
Good, good, good enough.  
Good, good_

I can't stop, I can't stop loving you.  
You're a dreamer and dreaming's what you do,  
I won't start believing that this is the end, there must be another way.  
Cause I couldn't handle the thought of you going away, woah yeah.

Sorry's not good enough, why are we breaking up?  
Cause I didn't treat you rough so please don't go changing.  
What was I thinking of?  
You said you're out of love, baby don't call this off because sorry's not good enough. 

At this point, Danny couldn't help but feel a stab of guiltiness in his guts as he sang the words. It reminded him uncannily about his departure from Meredith. Thinking back, he felt like a twat, not bothering to contact her over the years, making her wait for his return. _But she was seeing someone then, I couldn't break them up. It was only natural for to act that way, isn't it? _He thought, continuing the song. Feeling a clutch in his heart, Danny ignored the guilt and made a mental note to clarify everything with her later tonight.

_  
Don't stop, all those things you do.  
I'm a believer and that's what gets you through,  
I can't fight this feeling that this is the end,  
We're in the thick of it, where will this ever end? Woah, woah._

Sorry's not good enough, why are we breaking up?  
Cause I didn't treat you rough so please don't go changing.  
What was I thinking of?  
You said you're out of love, baby don't call this off because sorry's not good enough.

For you said you'd never leave me here, be there to hold and please me.  
Sorry's just not good enough for you,  
But everybody makes mistakes and that's just what we do.

Good, good, good, good enough.  
Good, good, good enough.  
Good, good, good enough.  
Good, good.

Don't go changing[X8  
Don't go changing (sorry's not good enough),  
Don't go changing (sorry's not good enough),  
Don't go changing (sorry's not good enough),  
Don't go changing.

Sorry's not good enough, why are we breaking up?  
Cause I didn't treat you rough so please don't go changing.  
What was I thinking of?  
You said you're out of love, baby don't call this off because sorry's not good enough.  
Sorry's not good enough.  
Sorry's not good enough 

Danny ended the song and opened his eyes, hoping for some good comments from the rest and sighed in relief when they nodded and clapped. Smiling, he placed his guitar beside him again and leaned back into the couch.

"That's awesome, dude." Dougie was looking awestruck, his mouth hanging open. Chuckling slightly at Dougie's voice, Danny nodded.

"But it's the lyrics that Meredith holds credit to." Danny looked around while the group murmured in agreement.

"Don't you realize this song's about you and Mer?" Hayden, who had been silent all throughout the discussion decided to speak up at this point, and her words stung Danny sharply, "I mean, it's kinda obvious, isn't it?" she turned to look at Tom and the others who were in turn looking at Danny.

"I must say, she's right dude. Not because I've been snogging her," Tom added, smirking at Hayden who punched him lightly on the arm, "but because it really did seem that way. You should talk it out with her, Dan. I'm sure she'd like it and you'll need it."

Danny opened his mouth to reply them when a sleepy voice from the bottom of the stairs cut him off.

"Talk what?" Meredith was now standing at on the last landing of the stairs and trying fervently to rub the sleep from her eyes. Noticing no response from the group, she asked again, bending down to scoop the hyperactive puppy from the floor and bent straight up, looking at everyone except Danny.

"Talk about what?" Hayden laughed a little nervously and smiled at her.

"Nothing, Mer. We were just going to talk to you about the song."

"Oh," a look of apprehension hung on her pale face, "there anything wrong with it? I can change it." She asked, but the rest shook their heads furiously, breaking out into a "No, no, it's awesome" and "gosh, it was great".

"Oh…kay… big response there, but anyways, it's getting late," she stole a glance at the retro clock that hung on the wall, "why don't you people stay here tonight, I'll cook."

Dougie and Harry's mouths dropped open and stared at her in amazement. "You, you cook!?" they asked at the same time, seemingly astonished at her ability to whip up delicious dishes.

"Well, yea. Got a problem?" she asked, frowning at the both of them who were shaking their heads, then at Bacon who was squirming vigorously in her arms.

"Ugh, what's wrong with you?" Meredith cried out in frustration and gave a yelp when Bacon's nails scratched her.

"Oww," she dropped the puppy onto the floor and cradled her hand immediately, "stupid dog." She looked around and saw Bacon licking Danny's face furiously before rolling her eyes at them.

"Traitor. To think I gave you most of my bacons every mornin'" she muttered under her breath, not knowing the rest was able to hear her loud and clear. They stared at her in amusement and burst out laughing when she said, "What?" but joined in with their laughing nonetheless.

Turning her attention back to the cut again, Meredith walked into the kitchen and grabbed the first aid box, and proceeded to wash her hands under the tap. She took the band aid out from the box and pulled her head out into the doorway.

"I'm gonna start cooking soon. You guys just make yourself comfortable or whatever." The boys nodded and turned their heads back to each other and started chatting furiously. Turning her attention to Hayden, she motioned for her to help her out in the kitchen.

The girls were now making their last dish for dinner, working in silence when Hayden decided to break it.

"Y'know, me and the rest kinda know Sorry's Not Good Enough's about Danny." Hayden said, looking up and smiling sheepishly at Meredith. Upon hearing the words, Meredith set down the half peeled potato and turned to the soup behind them that was bubbling slowly, the aroma of tomato filling the whole kitchen. She stirred the thick broth till it was almost ready and set down the laden before turning back to Hayden who was frowning at her silence as an answer.

Sighing, Meredith looked up at Hayden and smiled at her. "I'd have guessed so. It was kinda obviously ain't it?"

"Something like that, hun." Hayden replied, before the both of them burst out laughing.

"Honestly, I think you should talk to him. Ask him why he…" her voice faded a little while she continued, "I mean, ever since that outburst, it's been awkwardness between the both of you." Hayden finished her sentence at the same time as peeling her potatoes. She stood up and plopped them down into one of the pots with boiling water and took out a pair of forks, reaching to poke at them as they bobbed up and down in the water.

"Alright, alright. Maybe I should." Meredith muttered under her breath, thinking that Hayden couldn't hear her but gasped when she saw Hayden facing her, with an approving smile on her face.

"That's my girl." She said and turned back to poking the potatoes.

* * *

The four guys were now sitting in the dining room, waiting for their dinner in anticipation. Actually, take that back, only Dougie was bobbing up and down on his seat to see if the food was coming until Tom chided him. "Dougs, stop looking like we starve you." 

"What! You did starve me alright? You refuse to let me have that bag of chips last night." Dougie whined, pouting miserably at Tom while the others shot him looks of disgust.

"Oh please, you ate nearly everything that we have in our fridge, Dougs. Just you _alone_." Danny threw in sarcastically emphasizing on the word 'alone', but stopped when the girls brought in the dishes.

One by one, the dining table was filled with bowls and plates of mashed potato, chicken pie and chicken bolognese spaghettis. The girls had finally finished serving the dishes while they took off their aprons and hung it neatly in the kitchen. Just as they were about to sit themselves, Meredith realized there were only two vacant seats, one beside Tom and another, Danny.

_Ughh, crap. I'd have to sit beside him. Ughh, __Hayden would wanna sit beside Tom. Looks like I've got no choice, _Meredith thought, annoyed at their seating arrangement. Choosing the seat beside Danny, she turned to look at him who was now staring at her with a look of surprise.

"Yes?" she asked, hinting at him to stop staring at her, which he reluctantly did so. When the group were now seated properly, they started eating, once in a while passing jokes around the table. They were sitting in silence when Danny's phone started ringing.

"Excuse me," Danny stood up from his seat and stood up, motioning into the kitchen while he answered the phone. After a few minutes, the group could hear Danny's angry grunts from the kitchen followed by frustrated shouts.

"I told ya, for the last time, it's over. O-V-E-R." with that, Danny shut his phone with a sickening snap and walked back to the dining area where the rest were staring at him, all except Meredith, who was eating her food calmly.

"Brittany again?" Harry asked, cocking one of his eyebrows at him and then turned his gaze to Meredith.

Danny simply nodded and cast a sideway glance at Meredith, who was still chewing her food when she realized the rest were staring at her. Putting down her fork with a clang, Meredith's hands shot up to her face and began rubbing at something that wasn't there.

"There anything on my face?" she asked and rubbed her face further, thinking there was dirt on it.

"Ehh, no. There's nothing on it. Smooth like a newborn's butt." Dougie quipped through a mouthful of mashed potato and received a few disgusted looks from the girls and his bandmates.

"Dude, you've gotta eat with your mouth close. I'd hate to see the process of chewing going on inside while I'm eating, thanks." Hayden remarked while the rest at the dining table chuckled.

"Ahh, I see. I'll try." Dougie shrugged and turned back to his food, as the group followed. After a few moments, the chewing and the clanging of the cutleries against the plates stopped while Meredith stood up and started clearing the dishes.

"Why don't you people go over to the living room, continue with the song writing, I mean. I'll just stay and clean this up since mine's already done." Meredith told the rest and pulled her auburn curls into a messy high ponytail before piling the empty plates one on top of another.

With that, the group stood up, the sounds of chairs being dragged out made Meredith winced. She picked up the last of the plates and placed them in the sink gently before returning to the dining room once more to collect the bowls and cutleries. When she got back, she realized someone was still there. Danny. And he appeared to be helping with clearing the mess.

Meredith frowned at him and motioned to take the bowls from him, only to receive a shake of his head, meaning no. Shrugging, Meredith walked back to the kitchen and started to clean the dirty dishes when Danny walked in, arms full with the cutleries waiting for instructions on where to place them.

"Oh! Sorry, just place it there." Meredith nodded towards the empty sink that was beside the one she's using now. When Danny threw down the cutleries, he rolled up his sleeve and began washing them.

"You can just leave them there, y'know." Meredith said, not looking up from the plates and also not wanting to stare into his eyes.

"Nah, it's alright. I'll help." Was his only reply while the both of them worked in complete silence.

* * *

there ya go :D

cheerioooooooooos


	11. I Missed You

There you go,  
I'm off to mug again.  
once again, it's a loathsome thing to do, studying.

xoxo  
**herbieunloaded**

* * *

Danny and Meredith worked in complete silence, although they were still throwing glances at each other from the side of their eyes, only to find the other doing the same thing, and started blushing.

"So," Danny broke the silence while cleaning the plates with a rag, "how's your life so far?"

Meredith frowned, _how did he think my life went that twat;_ she thought and answered him in a forced manner. "It's been better. I've got a perfect job, a fantastic best friend and a stunning house. It's great." Her voice dripped with such sarcasm that if Danny was a rock, he would've melted away twice by the acidity of it.

Danny put down the rag on the side of the sink and gingerly placed the clean plates into the dish rack. He turned around to face Meredith so that now, he was looking at her directly; no longer throwing secret glances to know what's on her mind.

_Might as well be done and over with,_ he thought silently and took a deep breath.

"Y'know, I hope to talk it out with you. Now. About all these years." Danny muttered in his thick Bolton accent, hoping Meredith would put down the plates and look up at him. However, all Meredith did was nod her head, and proceeded to arrange the clean dishes onto the dish rack neatly before turning back to Danny.

"Let's go somewhere else." She suggested and made her way for the backdoor even before Danny had a chance to nod his head.

Stepping out into the cool, night air, Meredith started to shiver under the wind and tried hard but failed to hold back a sneeze. She pinched her nose just in time and felt a warm material weighing on her shoulders. Looking up, she saw Danny looking at her in concern with his jacket on her shoulders.

"Here, it's cold." Danny smiled at her while Meredith just nodded her head in response. When they reached her backyard, Meredith bent down to pick up a small flower from the grass then took off her shoes and sat on the damp grass twirling the flower between her lean fingers. She looked past her shoulder after awhile and frowned at Danny, who was still standing behind her, staring at the ground.

"Well, what're you doin' there. Sit down." Meredith then patted the ground beside her while Danny flopped down onto the grass. They were now inches apart from each other, causing the tension between them to heighten. Coughing awkwardly, Meredith scooted a little to her right, stretched out her legs, and continued to twirl the flower between her fingers.

"Ehm, are we gonna sit here in complete silence? Cause if we are, I'm goin' in." she mumbled after a few moments of complete silence from Danny, puffs of mist coming out of her mouth as she spoke, and motioned to stand up when his hand shot out and held her back.

He sighed and continued to stare at the ground. "I just wanna say I'm really sorry for making you wait all these years. I know you're not taking sorry as an explanation. But at least let me apologize first before I tell you why I didn't call back."

Meredith nodded mutedly, casting glances at Danny once in awhile. He took in a deep breath and spoke, foggy mists puffing out from his mouth and nose.

"I… I'm sorry for making you wait for nothing, sorry for not contacting you again, sorry for breaking that promise. And lastly and most importantly, I'm sorry for walking out on you when I was supposed to be your best friend." Danny let out a huge breath and spoke so quickly; Meredith could've sworn it was some kinda tongue twister, which in fact, it isn't. Hearing those words stumble from his mouth, she couldn't help the tears that had been threatening to fall when Danny started apologizing. Her breaths now came in raspy wheezes while Danny looked at her in shock, not knowing what to do. He cursed himself inwardly for making her cry. Thinking back, he was usually the one who cheers her up when she was sad or depressed, and vowed never to make her cry every time she did.

_That's the second promise I broke,_ Danny sighed and started patting Meredith's back awkwardly, only to have her shrug his hand away. "Then where's the expected explanation?" her voice was now thick with tears, choking once in a while before she lifted her gaze to Danny's eyes.

"Well, I did call a few years back. I really did," he added when Meredith gave him a doubtful look, "but you weren't home. Auntie Lorraine said you were out, with Josh. So I thought…" Danny drifted off, not knowing how to continue what he was going to say. Luckily for him, Meredith has stopped sobbing now and was looking up at him. Somehow finding the courage to continue what he said, Danny took in another deep breath.

"I thought you were, well, dating with whomever that Josh dude was, so, I didn't call back ever since, and told Auntie Lorraine not to tell ya I called because it'll see-" Before Danny could finish his sentence, Meredith let out a chuckle and cut across him, making him look at her in confusion.

_Laughter? Why the hell is she laughing?_ He thought and watched as Meredith broke out into howls of laughter gradually.

"Ehh, what're you laughing at?" Danny's question seemed to make Meredith laugh further because the girl was now lying on the grass flat on her back and laughing hysterically.

"Josh," Meredith managed to calm herself down and sat up from the grass, "is my tuition student. I thought you knew that. Too think, too thin-" before she could finish her sentence, she burst out into another round of laughter, while Danny's face was blank, his mouth forming a small 'o' in understanding.

"So… so you weren't dating him?!" the look on Danny's face was incredulous when Meredith shook her head and wiped the tears that was squeezed out by the hard laughing.

"No, you silly. We just went out together that day, to get his assessment books." Meredith said, and turned to lie down on her back, looking up at the midnight blue sky. "You shoulda left your number or something. At least, I could contact you, not like this…" her voice faded away.

"Well, I'm really, jus- extreme- ugh, sorry." Danny began stumbling over his own words and ran a hand through his curly, brown hair. He turned his head to look at Meredith only to see a small smile hanging on her graceful face.

"It's alright, I guess. Y'know what?" Meredith turned her head slightly to her left too and looked up into Danny's eyes that were twinkling under the light from her garden lamps.

"What?" Danny asked and scooted a little nearer to Meredith. He then grinned when he realize Meredith made no response to move away from him, only a smile hanging on her face.

Meredith turned her eyes back onto the sky and closed her eyes and said, "You're cute, when you trip over yourself, I mean." A faint blush crept onto her face as she smiled sheepishly, eyes remaining closed. Danny smiled happily at this and propped his legs up, bringing them close towards his chest and placed his chin on his knees.

"So… are we still… friends?" the word _friend_ hung grudgingly in Danny's mind. He was hoping they would be more than that, but it could only be too difficult.

Nodding, Meredith smiled and stood up from the grass and walked over to Danny's back and sat back down again, leaning against his back for the first time in five years. She had missed leaning on his back for the past five years, yearning to take in his scent and his warmth and the raspy vibrations whenever he laughed. She sighed in comfort and closed her eyes again when she felt Danny moving under her, fumbling for something in his jeans pocket. He had taken out her necklace and was now turning Meredith around so now they were facing each other.

"Here, take it back. It belongs to you alone. No other girl's gonna take it away from you. Don't ever, _ever_ return it back to me." Danny said seriously, his eyes boring into Meredith's. He stood up, the necklace still in his hands and walked around behind Meredith. Unclasping the hook, Danny placed the necklace onto Meredith's slender neck gently and clasped it back together and walked back in front of her again. He could now see her smiling wistfully at the ring, fingering it gently before looking up at him again before she blushed and opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm not going to ask you if I could do something. Cause I'm going to do it anyways." Danny looked up at her in confusion and was about to question her when Meredith came closer towards him, smiling before leaning in and closing the tiny gap between them. Her lips crashed onto his and kissed him lightly while her hands snaked up around her neck. Danny on the other hand was caught by surprise, but reacted quickly, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her towards him. For what seemed like eternity, the couple broke apart for air, gasping lightly at the passionate kiss. They laid their foreheads onto each other and smiled happily.

"I've been wanting to do that for a long time." Meredith muttered lightly, gently rubbing her nose against his before putting her forehead back onto Danny's again.

"Let's just say great minds, think alike." The both of them chuckled lightly. Meredith then looked up into his clear blue eyes and got lost in it again, like how she had in the past whenever she looked up into his eyes. She could remember every little thing Danny Jones had done for her ever since they met.

"I missed you," Danny said against her lips, while Meredith played with his curly locks. Glancing up at him in surprise, she opened her mouth to speak but her voice seemed to have shut down temporarily. Doing the only thing she could think of, Meredith leaned down again and pecked him lightly on the lips.

Breaking apart, she leaned on his forehead again and said, "I missed you too."

Just then, a deliberate cough from the backdoor caused them to look up in surprise. There, standing in front of the smoked screen door were Dougie, Harry, Tom and Hayden, all wearing identical smirks on their amused faces.

All of them burst into fits of laughter when Danny and Meredith started blushing furiously. Slowly, Danny stood up, and pulled Meredith beside him. He took her hand into his and led them towards the other four who were still laughing.

"About time, mate." Tom, Dougie and Harry said simultaneously, then, each gave a pat on Danny's back in mock encouragement while Danny just scowled and slapped their hands away when Meredith was pulled away from him by Hayden who was now grinning so brightly, her smile could've lit up the whole street if it was a torchlight.

"You so gotta tell me all about it tonight." She started away chirpily and hugged Meredith tight, "I've been waiting so long for the both of you to do something. Oh Mer, I'm so happy for you, really."

Meredith nodded and patted Hayden awkwardly on her back, before shrugging her shoulders at the guys and giving them a helpless look.

_This has got to be the longest day in my life,_ she thought as the six of them made their way back into her house. Meredith then pried herself from the clinging Hayden and walked back with her, arms linked with each other back to where the guys were.

For a split second, Dougie and Harry seemed to be sharing the same thought as they look at each other, and smiled at the same time.

"You know, doing that makes the both of you look like B1 and B2 from Bananas in Pajamas," Meredith commented when she caught them smiling at each other.

Dougie gave her a smirk and shrugged his shoulders, while Harry on the other hand, scowled at her.

"Anyways, me and Harry's gotta go first. Tom and Danny shall stay and see you two ladies through the night." Dougie said to everyone and smirked again and turned to the two girls who were looking slightly aghast at having guys in their houses tonight. Dougie then pulled them into one corner, and fumbled in his shirt pocket for something before his face lit up, holding something in his hands.

"Here, you might need this." He then held out both Hayden and Meredith's hands and pressed a condom each into their palms.

"What the hell," muttered Hayden who was staring at the small object sitting in her palm in disgust. "Doug, you never seem to let your mind outta the gutter, huh."

"Nope, never ever." He replied cheerfully and hopped back to the guys while Meredith and Hayden just stood at the corner, staring at each other then to the object in their hands with the same look of disgust.

"All right, it's time for us to go. See you two tomorrow." With that, Dougie and Harry walked out of the backyard and the next moment, the rumbling of vehicle engines could be heard.

Danny and Tom walked over to the girls who were still staring at the condom in their hands and chuckled when they saw the looks on their faces.

"So," Tom started to interrupt the two girls and brought them out of their trance, "where're the both of us gonna sleep today?"

"Erm, the couch's available." Meredith said bluntly and smiled up at the guys who were now pouting at her and giving her puppy eyes at the sound of having to sleep in the living room. Rolling her eyes, Meredith walked over to Danny and took his hand before sending Hayden and Tom a wave.

"Enjoy yourselves tonight. Keep it down though, I'm in need of sleep." She joked, earning indignant stares from the other couple and a chuckle from Danny.

"C'mon you, I'm tired." She added in a dramatic yawn for a more realistic effect only to have Danny staring at her as if she was daft.

When they reached her room, Meredith went straight for her closet; taking out a pair of umbrella designed boxers and a black camisole then walked into her bathroom. Within minutes, she flopped down onto her bed and turned on her side. She opened her eyes wearily and saw Danny still standing at the same spot near the door, yawning occasionally until he realized Meredith was staring at him.

"C'mon already," she said, patting the same beside her, "it's late and I'm tired." Meredith whined, creating a chuckle from Danny before he took off his jeans and shirt, leaving himself only in his boxers. Meredith's cheeks were now burning up in the presence of Danny's bare chest and yelped when he sat down on the bed beside her, blushing endlessly.

"What's wrong?" Danny asked in concern, afraid that he had done something to hurt her.

"Ehh, nothing, nothing." Meredith muttered and snuggled closer to Danny's chest and attempted to get as much warmth as she could from him. Taking a whiff of Danny's cologne, Meredith smiled wistfully at his favourite scent, vanilla.

"You smelt the same as you did five years ago." Meredith mumbled into his chest as Danny brought his arms across her and hugged her tightly.

"I really missed you a lot you know?" Danny said, twirling a piece of her auburn curl that had fallen from the messy ponytail.

Meredith nodded lightly and yawned, "Yea, me too. Really. Me too…" with that, Meredith fell into a fistful sleep and within seconds, Danny was off into his dreamland too.

* * *

THERE,  
GOOD DAY :D


	12. Prized possesions

HEY THERE  
i do not own McFLY, just Mer & Hayden  
fletch's a LUCKY SHIT

**xoxo,**

* * *

Hitting the ringing alarm clock on the bedside beside him, Danny gradually gave a stretch and turned on his side, taking in the beauty that was sleeping beside him. 

It was now late morning and Danny had just woken up from the most peaceful sleep he had had in years. _Maybe it's because Meredith's here with me,_ he thought as he propped himself up on his elbow and brushed a finger against Meredith's rosy cheeks. Her auburn curls lay around her face in a frenzy mess that only made her more beautiful. Danny smiled unconsciously and placed a light kiss on her forehead before swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and walked into the bathroom to clean himself up.

When Danny returned after a moment, Meredith was still sleeping soundly, with a hint of a smile on her face. Danny crossed the room and pulled open the curtains, letting the bright morning sunlight pour inside, lighting the dim room with the rich golden hues. Just as the curtains were being pulled open, a gasp escaped from a groggy Meredith as she pulled the pillow over her head and began to groan.

"Uhhh, turn off the lights. Glaring. Want to sleep. Turn off." Meredith cried out, her voice muffled against her pillow. Danny chuckled at her and walked back to the bed and sat in beside her, Indian style.

"So, someone's not a morning person, aye?" Danny asked, voice filled with amusement. He laughed and pulled the pillow from Meredith's face to look at her once again. Danny never seems to be able to get enough of her. He wanted to see her every minute of his life for she was his source of comfort and happiness. Placing the pillow on his lap then propping his elbows on it, Danny watched as a frown began showing on Meredith's face as she attempted to continue sleeping, but slowly, moaned and opened her eyes bit by bit to try and get used to the light in the room.

Sighing, she gave a huge stretch, yawns and began rubbing the sleep from her blue eyes.

"I slept really well yesterday," Meredith turned on her side and faced Danny, who was looking at her all along, smiling in amusement and the sight of her morning state, "did you sleep well?"

Danny nodded and pulled Meredith up and sat her in his lap before hugging her tightly and took buried his face in her hair.

"I sure did." He said and motioned to kiss her on the lips when Meredith held out her hand and gave a disgusted look.

"Ewww, I'll go brush my teeth first." She smiled at Danny who was now pouting at the 'rejected kiss' but nodded nonetheless. Meredith stood up from her bed and walked over to her closet. She pulled out drawers after drawers and finally, she was done with choosing her clothes, a plain t-shirt and a pair of boxers.

"D'ya often take that long to just find a pair of boxers and a t-shirt?" Danny asked, intrigued by the way Meredith worked before standing up and walked over to her vanity.

"Erm, not really." Meredith said and walked into the bathroom whilst Danny began exploring her room for the second time again. He looked around at the numerous photographs that were pasted on her walls and ceilings and anywhere that could allow space for them. There were pictures of herself or her with Hayden and also her family. Plucking out a black and white photo of her from the mirror gently, Danny realized that Meredith was still into photography, judging at the number of pictures she had in her bedroom.

Moving onto the shelf on the left side of the room, Danny saw three cameras that he knew were her prized possessions. One was a bulky black camera – a digital Nikon D300 as it says on the strap, and beside it sat another vintage looking film camera. In between the two was the stylish Polaroid, which he knew was her favourite since most of the photographs in her room were Polaroid snapshots. He took the D300 off the shelf and was looking at it when Meredith came out of the bathroom and yelled at him, nearly making him drop the camera in the process.

"Oh gosh, no no. Hands off!" she rushed towards him and gingerly took the camera from his hand and placed it back onto the shelf. Heaving a sigh of relief, she turned back to see a pouting Danny who was still shocked by her reaction.

"I'm sorry," she smiled sheepishly at him, "it's just that, these cameras are my babies! They cost a fortune!" her voice was unusually high pitched and that caused Danny to laugh and wrap his arms around her.

"Oh how nice. So those are your babies and I'm not." Danny huffed and pulled away. Pouting once more, he crossed his arms and said, "So what am I? A roadside trash?"

Meredith laughed and pinched his nose before pecking him lightly on the lips. "Nooo, you're one of my prized possessions too." She grinned and brought herself closer towards him. "And that means you belong to…" she kissed him again before pulling away, "ME."

Bending down, Danny brushed his lips lightly over Meredith's forehead then proceeded to planting butterfly kisses all over her face, causing her to giggle under the ticklish feeling. He then proceeded to plant a kiss on her soft lips, sealing the butterfly kisses he was showering her with. Slowly, Danny's tongue began to gain entrance into Meredith's mouth, which she gladly gave. Savoring the sweetness of her mouth, Danny pulled Meredith closer to him. On the other hand, Meredith's hands went up from his chest to his neck, and began playing with his curls.

After a moment of serious snogging, the couple broke apart, panting and placed their foreheads onto each other, staring into one another's eyes. Danny's sky blues into Meredith's deep blue and vice versa.

"That was, wow." Meredith smiled at rub her nose against Danny then placed a soft kiss on his lips.

"Yeap, it's really," Danny plants a kiss on her lips, "seriously," and another, "very," and another kiss, "wow." This time, Danny kissed her longer until it evolved into another snogging session. Breaking for air, a sudden thought struck Danny as to where they could go for the rest of the day.

"Let's go to the zoo." He suggested, a childlike grin plastered on his face. "It's been a _loooooooooong_ time since the last time I went." Danny then pouted at Meredith, while giving her the puppy eyes too, causing her to laugh at his face.

"Hmm, alright then. Now get rid of this puppy and give me back my boyfriend." She said, nudging him in his chest with her elbow.

"Boyfriend?" Danny grabbed her elbow and pulled her closer towards him. "So, I'm your boyfriend now?" Meredith blushed and punched him playfully on the shoulder then pulled herself away from him.

"That depends on your behaviour." She said with a wink then crossed the room to gather their things for the trip. She took out a small sling bag from her closet and took the D300 from the shelf then placed it gingerly into the bag before snapping it shut and handing it over to Danny.

"Here, take these for me." She pulled the bag over Danny's head and laughed when he scowled at her.

"This is so gay," he muttered and continued scowling.

"No, it's not. It's cute." She replied and when Danny was about to reply, she said again, "And don't you dare drop it. If you do, you'll have to search all over the world and get me the same one back."

Smiling, she bundled over to her closet and pulled out a yellow sundress and her grey tights. She then went back into her bathroom and change before coming out and applying her usual light makeup while Danny sat on her bed and watched her.

After putting on her blush, she ran a brush down her auburn curls and her bangs before taking out two pairs of sunglasses from her vanity drawer.

"Do you need these? Or a cap?" she asked and moved into her walk in wardrobe in search of caps for him.

"Nah, I've got thousands of it in my car." Danny replied nonchalantly while Meredith's head popped out from the walk in ward and stared at him in surprise.

"Why d'ya need so many hats for?" she asked and as a face of realization dawned on her.

"Ahh, disguises. Smarty." Then, she went back into her wardrobe and pulled out a pair of Mary Janes from the drawers, slipped it on and placed her shades into her tote bag before walking back into the room.

"I'm done!" she smiled at him and once again, Danny was dazzled by her beauty. He stood up and was about to walk over to her when he saw her inhaler lying on the table, unnoticed.

"No, you're not done. You forgot this." He frowned at her and placed the object into her hand as his mind reeled at how the girl's health was so unpredictable. Shrugging, Meredith placed the inhaler into her bag and muttered, "Not like I need it."

"Why don't you need it?" Danny asked.

"It's not like I'm going to have a relapse in a zoo?" Meredith rolled her eyes and looked at Danny. "Don't you need to change? I mean, yea, you need to change." She said lamely and sniggered at Danny's sloppy state.

Danny shrugged and took Meredith's hands and led them into the living room. "I've got some clothes in my car. I'll just go get it, change and I'm done. Why don't you wait for me in the living room?" he said then looked around to see Tom and Hayden nowhere in sight.

"Where's Tom and Hayden anyway?" he asked, turning his head back to Meredith who was already engrossed in the cartoon show playing on the television, which Danny realized, was called 'Dora the Explorer'.

"I don't know, they musta gone somewhere to snog." Meredith said without turning to look at Danny.

"Alright, I'll just go grab my clothes, change and we'll be off." He said and walked towards the door while Meredith simply nodded at him. Unlocking his car, Danny fumbled in his bag that was sitting on the backseat, and pulled out a pair of jeans, boxers and a fresh pair of t-shirt. He walked back into the house and failed to realize the blonde girl that was staring at him all the while in her car, watching his every move.

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there, review if you like this :D

_cheerios_


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